Stereotypes - Blog Hop #4

Here is the prompt for this blog hop: Do you experience this same assumption from society in general that just because you’re being crafty you’re also driven by some unseen force to be in constant 1950s housewife mode? and then…. Who actually does the cooking and the cleaning in the household? I’d also really like to hear some words from the men in the crowd who stitch on this topic. What sort of societal reactions do you get and what ridiculously wrong assumptions do people make towards you when they see you working on needlework?

Oh-my-freaking-God! This is such a great post for this month! Hahahahaha! I am laughing so hard at it because we just had an encounter such as this - on a military base!!  OK, so you need some back-story since many of you are new to the Koehler Klan.


My husband is medically retired from the United States Marine Corps.  He is a rough and tough son-of-a-bitch when necessary, but overall, he is the sweetest, kindest, and most gentlemanly kind of guy that you will ever meet. Everyone who knows him and even his medical records always indicate that he is a "perfect gentleman."  He is completely mechanical, and he almost proposed immediately when I knew how to rotate the tires on my own car.  


I have always been the rough and tumble tomboy who preferred to play sports and play with Tonka than put on a dress and play with Barbie. I have been shooting pistols and rifles since I was little, and it was my ornery and tough WW1 AND WW2 Veteran grandfather who taught me to shoot, cuss, and stick up for myself.  I was so afraid that when I had children that I would totally suck at it because of my apparent lack of estrogen (no fear, I did just fine taking care of the girls). I'm not the touchy-feely, overly emotional chick, and I still prefer hanging out with the guys smoking a cigar and enjoying a snifter of Scotch or Bourbon over being in the kitchen with the wives.  There are times I love being in the kitchen, but it's usually because the hubby and I are cooking together.


Now, please remember that my hubby is the retired one.  I am still employed full-time and hoping to scrape a retirement together before I'm 90 years old.  So, it is my HUSBAND who is home cleaning, shopping, doing the laundry, picking up kids and all of that fun stuff while I am the one working.  We share the cooking here and sometimes we enjoy preparing the meal together - which will usually involve a dance or two around the kitchen together.   I have learned to cook very well (as is evidenced by the size of my posterior at this point), but that's about it where the crafty stuff ends. The hubby does manage the budget because, frankly, I hate math and dealing with numbers literally hurts my head - but we plan the budget and work together to make the ends meet. 


My ability to cross-stitch makes people think that I sew, knit and crochet as well.  I really wish I could do those things, but I utterly suck at them.  I have finally purchased a sewing machine so that I can do some finishes to my stitching projects as well as fix hems for my girls or sew a strap back on when the sisters start fighting.  It's never pretty when I sew, but it's always functional.


For the most part, we get some funny looks when I mention this arrangement, but usually, I am met with shrieks of "You're SO lucky!" or something similar.  My hubby will not only clean the clothes, but he folds them AND puts them away.  Because the Marines is a way of life for him, he also irons.  (Honestly, he hates the way I iron clothes, so he does it all since I apparently miss one or two very small wrinkles and I don't pleat the pants appropriately - which all works for me because I hate to iron!)


However, there are many times that we get the "Uh-huh" and the eyebrow raise with nods when we discuss the arrangement in our house.  There are so many people who think that we should have the "conventional" home such as was seen on Leave it to Beaver, and I often make the remarks that I do NOT vacuum with a perfectly ironed skirt and pearls on.


I'm looking forward to getting a glimpse of the others on the Blog Hop.  It should be fun and interesting for me to read!



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